Alternate Ending
by Dannie7
Summary: They escaped to be together forever but now they're making their way back home.


AN: I don't own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with the series-otherwise things would have gone a lot differently….

It had been ten years since I'd set foot on English soil but as the plane slowly landed I felt home again. I glanced at Ginny in her seat across the aisle and smiled, knowing she felt the same and it made the journey actually feel worthwhile.

"Daddy," I heard a voice squeal to my left. "It's so pretty and green down there! It that where we're going?"

I smiled down at the blonde head next to me, feeling warmth in my chest at my son's obvious enthusiasm to see England. "Sorry, Xander we're going to be in the city for a while but you'll be in the countryside soon enough." I felt my smile widen as I heard the other children excitedly chatter at Ginny about everything they would see and do when the plane landed.

_Home_, I thought to myself. I glanced out the window with Alexander, watching excitedly as the plane brought us closer to my native soil.

They had originally left not with a warm feeling in their chests but drenched in the cold sweat of fear and anxiety. Their relationship had started as a plot for revenge-against Harry, against their families, against the politics that separated him. They were Draco Malfoy-resident Hogwarts Death Eater- and Ginny Weasley-symbol for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. They came together the first time after the Welcome Feast, when Ginny was still bitter over Harry leaving her and angry about the changes brought over Hogwarts while Draco was preparing himself for his new role in Hogwarts.

Draco had caught her wandering after hours and their subsequent argument had somehow led to them having sex in an abandoned classroom. They met like that at least once a week for the next few weeks, Ginny popping up on Draco's patrol route and dragging him into the nearest classroom for another clandestine meeting. It wasn't until after the winter holidays that Draco bothered to put anything more than his libido into their relationship.

"You do realize your little resistance is futile," he said wearily as he gathered his shirt from the floor. He looked at it closely and realized he would once again have to repair it as she managed to tear some buttons off when she had hurriedly yanked off the garment. "You're doing nothing but putting yourself further in the spotlight and making yourself a target for the Carrows."

Her snort drew his attention away from his clothes and he watched as she draped her tie around her neck before fixing her hair. "I'd die before I give up fighting so keep your opinions to yourself Malfoy," she retorted.

He simply shrugged to himself and told her frankly, "With the way things have been lately you might be making true on that promise."

She shrugged in response and stated as she walked out the door, "I was born to fight and I'll die for that right."

As he put his shoes on he really thought about her statement and wondered what it felt like to feel passionate about something you believed in.

"We should have sent an owl at least," Draco muttered again, shuffling his feet as we walked towards Diagon Alley.

I simply sighed and rolled my eyes as he went on about letting our families know we were back in town. "Going to Diagon Alley is just as good as sending an owl," I pointed out again. "If we don't get spotted by a family member or the Prophet we can send an owl and let them know we want to visit."

I looked back to make sure Alexander, Haedi, and Orion were following us and stopped short once again to find the kids pressed to some shop window. "You can stop to look at shops once we get to where we're going," I cajoled again as we dragged the kids down the street.

"This is taking forever," Haedi complained again, tugging at her father's hand in an effort to escape his grasp. "I want to go look at the toys and we passed them a long time ago."

Draco simply picked Haedi up and carried her down the street, reminding her to be patient and that if she stopped running off we would be there by now. I smiled down at Orion and Alexander and pulled them along the street as well, hoping we could finally mange to get to Diagon Alley.

"You guys will love it," I whispered to the boys as we followed behind Draco. "It's much better than anything you've seen at home."

I watched the boys eyes light up as they imagined the possibilities and smiled to myself again, glad we decided to make this trip first.

They didn't magically become best friends while they were at Hogwarts-it wasn't as though Draco had become a radically different person in a heartbeat and opened up to Ginny about any and everything in his life and she did the same. Draco would occasionally warn Ginny off about the Carrows or Snape and she would disregard his statements totally. When she went home for Easter Break and never returned Draco felt as though things were off somehow but quickly returned to his routine and completely forgot about Ginny. It wasn't until after the war that they got to any semblance of a normal relationship.

Draco had been in a Muggle bar off of Diagon Alley, wishing to drink in peace without having someone rant to him about his family, when Ginny had stumbled in looking disheveled and as though she didn't remember what happiness looked like. When she glanced around the bar and spotted him, she automatically wandered over to his table and took a seat.

"Rough day?" he asked as he pushed a spare glass in her direction, nodding at the bottle of whiskey to indicate she should help herself.

Ginny drank two shots in quick succession before she could respond to his question. "Today was Fred's funeral," she said with a sigh. "I don't think I've ever seen George so depressed and he's on constant suicide watch. We've got to force food and drink down his throat and he refuses to move out of his bed. I just couldn't stand being in the house anymore it was too much."

Draco looked at her closely and could see what a tool the entire thing was taking on her. "I wish I could sympathize but I'm not sure I can," he said with a shrug, downing his own shot. "I barely escaped arrest and I'm stuck on probation for the next year. My home is inhabitable as the ministry has decided it is evidence since the Dark Lord was in residence and we're living in a London townhome temporarily. My mother is in shambles at my father's arrest and has fallen into own pit of depression. I'm a pariah in the Wizarding world so at least you can say they aren't trying to drive you away."

They sat there in silence, each wallowing in their own sadness and when Draco stood to leave, Ginny did as well. They didn't speak on the way to his temporary residence and when they had sex that night it was slow and filled with the remorse each felt about their inability to change their situation.

They had managed to wander throughout the entire Alley without any real incident, the only exception being Haedi throwing a fit in the Magical Menagerie when I informed her that she wouldn't be going home with a kneazle. Ginny glared at me and managed to calm her before she managed to draw too much attention our way. The boys had managed to be relatively well behaved and we had a great time watching their reactions to the shops in the Alley. We were almost ready to leave, Haedi asleep in my arms, when the boys spotted a shop down the way.

"Can we go there?"Orion gasped, eyes entranced by the multicolored shop.

I glanced at Ginny and saw her toss her head back before telling him, "Sure, why not?" I looked her in the eye and saw the fear she was trying to hide from the boys and grasped her hand as we followed them down Diagon Alley to the shop. Weasley Wizard Weezes looked as though it had expanded over the years but it still managed to retain the bright multicolored display that made it eye catching and also offensive to the eyes of adults. The boys pulled the door open and rushed inside, pulling at Ginny to drag her where they wanted to go knowing I had no choice but to follow.

"Is there anything you gents were looking for in particular?" said a voice off to the right. I glanced in that direction to see an amused woman in what I assumed was an employee uniform as it was bright orange with red stripes.

The boys practically squealed in delight and rattled off different ideas while trying to talk over each other at the same time. The woman just shook her head and glanced at Ginny before her face morphed into a shocked expression.

"Ginny?" she whispered, clutching at her stomach with her left hand. It was at that point that I noticed her wedding band and her rounded stomach. This seemed to trigger something and I tried to remember where we would know her from when George seemed to appear at her side.

"Angie what's wrong?" he asked, glancing at her face worriedly. "I saw your face from over by the counter and-" He seemed to freeze as well when he finally noticed who she was looking at.

"Hello George, Angelina," Ginny said, gathering the boys close to her as they seemed to finally notice that something was off. "The boys were looking for something to keep themselves entertained for a bit, nothing they can use on each other though."

The boys protested at this and Angelina seemed to snap out of her stupor, ushering the boys off to look at one of the displays. I tightened my grip on Haedi as I watched the two siblings gaze at each other, hoping this meeting would go as well as Ginny believed it would.

"What makes you think you have the right to come in here after running off ten years ago without a word?" George said angrily, his face flushing as his anger built. "Did you think it was okay to just gallivant off in the sunset with some bloke you barely knew? Do you know how much we worried about you? How long we searched for you?"

Ginny's face flushed red and she looked about ready to spit nails as she replied, "If it had been anyone else, would it have been fine? You tried to bloody lock up the man I love and you expected me to stand around and wait for you to find a way to throw him in Azkaban forever?"

George huffed and told her, "It was never me-it was Harry and Ron the bloody idiots and you chose to take it out on all of us."

"What do you expect when everyone was so against the idea of us together and nobody seemed to be against the trial? When dad was trying his hardest to get me to testify?"

"We would've eventually except it, you just had to give us time!"

"You've had ten years and you're standing here yelling at me! That doesn't seem pretty forgiving!"

Haedi chose this moment to wake up and start sobbing, unhappy to be woken by the yelling around her. I tried my best to rock her and calm her down but she just cried louder. Ginny simply plucked her from my arms and walked off, trying to soothe Haedi and calm herself down at the same time.

I looked at George and simply told him, "She didn't want to leave but she felt like she had no choice. Your sister fights for what she wants and she doesn't back down from a challenge."

George seemed to really look at me for once and simply asked, "Did you treat her well?"

I shrugged and told him, "As best as I could. We had degrees and some money I'd taken before we left but it was still a struggle in the beginning. We fought a lot and at times we struggled to make ends but we managed to work it out and we've been as happy as we could be in America. We've missed it here and it's odd for our children to not know about their family so we're considering moving back but it all depends on if we can make a life out of it here."

George nodded and when Ginny came back, Haedi once again asleep, he actually managed to speak to her calmly and warmly like a sister sorely missed.

They had started meeting again once a week at the bar, spending the day wandering around Muggle London before heading back to the townhouse to have sex. The first few times they simply wandered in silence, glad to be away from it all and with someone who didn't treat them with sympathy or anger. After a while Ginny started to talk to him about how George was recovering and how Bill and Fleur were trying to start a family. He opened up to her about how his mother was slowly moving on in life and how he'd recently met his Aunt Andromeda.

Soon their time together started to focus more on their conversations and less on the sex and they started to spend more time out in Muggle London and less time in Draco's bedroom. They began going on real dates and enjoying the things London had to offer without worry for their normal lives. When Draco's probation ended and he was allowed to freely travel they went to the shore for a day, enjoying the sun in each other's company. Everything seemed to be great and they truly loved being together, but everything seemed to change about two years after they'd really found one another.

"Are you sure we should just walk in?" I asked again nervously. "If your parents really disowned you they probably put up some sort of defenses and-"

"Ginny stop worrying," he said again as we walked up the dirt road. The kids trailed behind us, Orion exclaiming over the countryside while Alex dragged Haedi along the path. "They're my parents and I'm sure they'd be happy to see me. Also the manor has wards to allow any offspring or spouses on the grounds despite any other overlaying wards so you don't have to worry."

As the manor came into view Haedi cried in delight, "Are we going to a castle Daddy?"

Draco laughed and said, "No, we're going to see your grandparents dearest."

We quickly approached the gates and walked up the drive, Draco exclaiming that "They never changed a bloody thing! The peacocks are even still here." The kids just looked around in awe and seemed to want to barrel down the door to look at more of the house. Draco knocked on the door and we were shown into a nearby parlor by a house elf who promised to 'quickly fetch master and mistress for the visitors'. The children just looked around in awe as the room while Draco took a seat on the settee. I moved to join him as the door seemed to creak open and a small blonde head popped into the room.

"Hello," A little girl said, wide blue eyes peering out from a pale face surrounded by curly blonde hair. She slowly opened the door wider and slipped into the room, revealing a blue dress any princess worth her salt would envy. "Mummy and Daddy never let me have my own visitors and I heard Mopsy say there were people here to play with me."

Draco seemed to look at her in shock while the children rushed over to greet her. I sat next to Draco and grabbed his hand, knowing he needed someone to hold onto while he processed this. The door opened wider and Narcissa Malfoy appeared behind the girl, scolding her gently. "Kyrene, you know you are supposed to be in lessons now, not meeting with mummy's guests," she said. "You know the ponies hate when you don't come see them every day and you wouldn't want to make them sad, would you?"

Kyrene pouted and stamped her foot, telling Narcissa, "I don't want to ride today; I want to play with my new friends. They came all the way from America to play with me and I can't leave them now."

Lucius came into view against the side of the doorway and told the girl, "Take them outside then and be on your best behavior."

The children all cheered and raced out of the room, unaware to the oncoming commotion. Narcissa looked to see who was waiting for her in the room and seemed to pause, her face turning slightly sad before she composed himself. Lucius just sent a heated glance around the room before moving slightly to stand beside his wife in the doorway. Narcissa grasped her husband's arm and helped him cross the room, his pace slow even with the help of his cane, and they sat on the settee across from Draco and me. Luicius took his time settling himself while Narcissa snapped her finger for an elf, whispering instructions into its ear. It wasn't until the house elf returned and left a tea service that Draco seemed to snap out of his stupor and focus on his parents.

"Who is she?" he asked, sounding slightly lost. Lucius merely glanced in his son's direction before turning away to look out one of the bay windows.

"That was your sister," Narcissa said simply, pouring a cup of tea for herself. "Did you think we wouldn't move on? That we wouldn't try to fix the gaping hole in our hearts that you created when you left?" She set the teacup down forcefully and gave Draco a heated glance. "I was a wreck when you ran away-my husband in jail and my beloved son escaping the country to be with some woman he didn't even have the courtesy to introduce to his mother. I tried my best to rebuild the family name and go on but it was hard to do it by myself. I didn't have anything around me to keep me going and so I wanted another child, another person who would hopefully stay with me this time around."

Lucius smirked and glanced at his wife before informing us, "They didn't allow private visits anymore once she'd conceived but it was worth it to give her what she needed."

Draco looked dazed by the revelation, although whether it was at the idea of his parents having sex or the fact they were trying to replace him was unclear.

"I understand that the way we left resulted in many open wounds and hurt feelings," I said, deciding that one of us needed to say something. "We just didn't know what to do since the Aurors were targeting Draco and we couldn't see each other no matter how hard we tried."

"If you were so sure space was what you need then why did you come back?" Lucius snapped, glancing between Draco and me.

"Because it isn't," Draco responded softly, staring off into space. "No matter how hard we tried we couldn't forget any of you and seeing the kids just makes us think about you even more. I'm not sure what I would do if something like this happened with Haedi but I can imagine what it feels like."

"You couldn't," his mother told him. "It's the worst feeling in the world, having your heart break like that."

We all sat in silence at that, lost in our own thoughts, as the childish shrieks of delight filtered in though the windows.

They were on their way to the opera when they ran into Helena and Oberon Granger.

"Ginny isn't it?" Helena asked, looking at the couple happily. "I've never seen one of Hermione's friends out, this is a great surprise."

Ginny smiled tightly and shook the woman's hand. "Yes this is quite the surprise for me as well; I didn't know you enjoyed the opera."

Oberon laughed heartily and told Ginny, "Hermione is named after a character from a Shakespearian play. Helena loves the stage and used to act herself when we were in college. It's a shame she was so good at science-she could've had a career as an actress."

Helena beamed at her husband and turned to face Draco before saying, "I'm sorry we're being so rude dearest, we didn't even bother to introduce ourselves. I'm Helena and this is my husband Oberon."

Draco held out his hand and simple stated "I'm Draco Malfoy and it's a pleasure to meet you both."

Helena's face morphed into shock as the name registered and she looked at Ginny while her husband simply shook Draco's hand.

"We'll see you later Ginny dear," Helena hurriedly stated before rushing her husband towards the nearest balcony entrance.

Draco looked puzzled as he asked Ginny, "Who were they and why was she in such a rush to leave?"

Ginny sighed before simple telling him, "They're Hermione's parents and obviously her mother recognized your name. There's no telling what will happen now."

As they approached The Burrow, I felt Ginny's hand tighten on mine. "It's okay," I told her softly as we approached the front steps. "Your brother already let everyone know we were coming and he said we would be more than welcome at dinner."

As Alex and Orion nearly knocked the door off with the force of their knocks I smiled down at Ginny and hoped she didn't see how nervous I was as well. The door swung open quickly and Mr. Weasley stood in the doorway, the boys nearly knocking on his knees. He simple stared at us for a second before moving out of the doorway, silently ushering us in. Orion and Alex quickly stepped into the house while Haedi clung to my legs, staring back at her grandfather.

"Say what you have to now dad," Ginny said softly, staring her father in the eye. "I'd rather you didn't do it in front my children, but Haedi is young enough to not understand most of it."

Mr. Weasley simply moved from the doorway and gathered her in his arms, holding her as tightly as possible. Ginny stiffened for a moment before sagging into her father's arms and hugging him in return. His shoulders shook as he sobbed quietly and Ginny's arms simply tightened around him in response.

"Arthur," I heard a voice call from inside. "Is everything all right?"

Mrs. Weasley appeared in the doorway and her eyes glistened slightly as she took in the sight of her daughter and husband locked in an embrace. Haedi let go of my legs and wandered over to her grandmother, raising her arms and demanding "Up". She smiled as she picked Haedi up and allowed the girl to stroke her hair and make cooing noises. As I watched the two redheads interact and Ginny hug her father, I was filled a sense of completion at seeing our family as one. When Ginny finally lifted her heard from Arthur's shoulder I smiled at her to let her know that we had made the right decision to return home.

Helena had apparently told Hermione that same night because by the next day Draco was receiving Howlers and Ginny had gotten at least three lectures upon waking. Draco's mother had gone to Azkaban and returned with a letter threatening to disown Draco should he continue with the relationship. They couldn't get together again as Ginny was being followed by Ron and Harry was busy building a case to get Draco's probation reinstated. The next time they managed to see each other was three weeks later when Ginny managed to slip out the house in the middle of the night.

"I can't do this anymore," Ginny sighed, sitting on the front step of Draco's townhome. "I need to move out as soon as possible otherwise I might kill someone. Ron even tried to follow me in the bloody locker room at trainings, the fucking pervert."

Draco laughed and told her, "That's what you get for working for the Harpies; otherwise your brother would be less inclined to follow you into the showers. My mother has been setting me up for dates to find me a 'better suited girl'. It's not a big deal and it will all blow over soon enough Ginny, you'll see."

However, Draco was wrong and he was arrested the next day for kidnapping Ginny. They kept Draco in a holding cell to await trial and refused to drop the changes even when Ginny went to the Auror's office. The trial was thrown out of court when they failed to find any witnesses to attest to her kidnapping and Ginny refused to take the stand. It was at that point they realized they had to take a stand and make a choice before their families did anything worse.

They had decided to leave on the anniversary of the Battle at Hogwarts, as everyone would be too busy celebrating or mourning to miss their absence. Draco had originally suggested either Australia or America as "that was where criminals were sent in the first place and what do our families see us as if not criminals?" It also helped that they were English speaking countries as Ginny only knew some words in Romanian and Arabic. They planned to go to the west coast of America to get as far away from their families as possible and made arrangements to live as Muggles to give them a better chance of going unnoticed.

"Are you sure about this?" Draco asked as they met at the airport. She looked into his eyes and saw her fear reflected back at her and said with as much confidence as she could muster, "As sure as I'll ever be in us."

It wasn't easy to move back to England. We had to find new jobs and find a place for the kids to go to school. We had to adjust to the fact that I had a new sister and my dad's physical limitations due to his heart condition. We had to adjust to the expansion of Ginny's family and her several sister-in-laws and her brother-in-law. It was times like these however, watching Alexander and Kyrene board the Hogwarts Express while Haedi cried because it would be another four years before she could go and Oliver played around with his cousins that made it completely worthwhile. I looked to Ginny on my right side and smiled at her, knowing that even though we took an alternate path to things we wound up alright in the end.


End file.
